


Routine Traffic Stop

by Swellison



Category: ER, The Sentinel
Genre: Cop Blair, Crossover, Gen, slight ER AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2017-11-16 18:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swellison/pseuds/Swellison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>  Jim, Blair and an anything-but-routine traffic stop.  </p>
            </blockquote>





	Routine Traffic Stop

**Author's Note:**

> Another Sentinel Lyric Wheel story, from the Crossings Wheel. In addition to writing a story with a line from a song, these stories had to be crossovers. My story is a somewhat AU crossover with ER, with BAC (Blair as Cop).  
> The lyrics are posted at the end. This is the last of my Sentinel Lyric Wheel stories, there were four wheels total and I contributed to three of them.

Routine  
Traffic Stop  
by: [Swellison](mailto:swellison@ev1.net)[](mailto:swellison@ev1.net)

**Written for:** The Crossings Wheel (The third Sentinel Lyric Wheel) 

**Disclaimer:** We do not own the Sentinel (or in this case the characters or concepts of ER or have a claim on the characters or concepts. We're just borrowing them for a while. 

**Rating:** PG 

**Category:** Crossover with ER 

**Summary:**     A routine traffic stop is anything but for Jim and Blair. 

* * *

Jim Ellison glared at the red light, fingers tapping on the distinctive gray, yellow and blue police cruiser's steering wheel. His gaze shifted downward to the dashboard, and he caught sight of the light blue uniform shirt that he currently wore. He sighed. 

"Look on the bright side, man." Blair Sandburg, also in Cascade's standard light blue and navy police uniform, spoke from the passenger's side of the police vehicle. "It's Thursday afternoon, the week's almost over." 

"Almost isn't good enough, Junior." The light changed and Jim accelerated, following the rest of the traffic down the feeder road. 

Sandburg resisted the urge to straighten the cap that concealed his longer-than-regulation length hair. "Putting the detectives back in uniform for a week of street duty isn't a Communist plot, Jim. In fact, I think the Police Chief has a valid point, reminding the elite members of the force where their roots are, so to speak." 

"Don't you mean our roots, Chief? You're one of us, now." 

Blair heard Jim's unspoken "aren't you?" and answered quickly. "I know what it's like to wear this uniform, I've only been out of the Academy for six months. I was talking about the veterans of the force; it's been well over a decade since some of them have had to put on a uniform." 

"Uh huh," Jim grunted, halted again by a red light. He watched the other vehicles around his cruiser accelerate after the light changed. "That's it!" He announced, changing into the left lane. "That guy has changed lanes twice without signaling." He indicated a silver Honda Accord that just entered the freeway ramp, then merged into the traffic. Jim signaled and pulled into the freeway entrance, following the Accord. 

"Jim, you're not gonna pull that guy over just because he didn't use his turn signals!?" 

"That's what uniformed cops **do** , Sandburg." Jim turned the flashing lights on and picked up speed, rapidly gaining on the Accord. When he was close enough to his quarry, he flipped the siren on for a few seconds and indicated that the Accord's driver was to pull over to the shoulder. 

The silver car slowed and turned onto the shoulder, again failing to use its turn signal. Jim decelerated and pulled his cruiser to a stop, a few yards behind the other car. 

Jim and Blair got out of the cruiser. "Simon's not going to like this--"Blair warned as he joined Jim at the front of the police car. 

Jim scanned the Accord, frowning. "The driver's the only one in the car, but I'm hearing two heartbeats, Chief." 

"See if you can hear anything else," Blair whispered, then continued to approach the stopped car. 

Jim stretched his hearing another notch, keeping his face neutral, confident that Sandburg would distract the driver. He only had to crank his hearing up slightly to catch the **thump, thump** emanating from the trunk. 

Meanwhile, Sandburg halted a foot away from the driver's side door, and waited while the driver rolled down the window. 

"What seems to be the trouble, Officer?" The man appeared to be of average height and build, as far as Blair could tell. He was dressed casually in a green polo shirt and khaki pants, and was in his early thirties. 

"License and registration, please." Blair strove for an even, firm tone of voice, but he could hear Sgt. Trujo's lecture on the dangers of routine traffic stops running through his mind. 

"Here's my license," the driver said, "but the registration's in the glove box. I can get--" 

"No, just keep your hands on the steering wheel, Mr." -- Blair glanced at the driving license -- "Preddy." 

"I'm sorry if I was speeding," Arthur Preddy said, resting his hands on the steering wheel and nervously glancing in the rear view mirror to see what the other cop was doing. "My speedometer's not entirely accurate--" 

"You weren't speeding," Blair interrupted. "Both of your turn signals appear to be malfunctioning. Were you aware of that?" 

"No, I wasn't." 

Blair heard Jim's footsteps crunch on the gravel as the older cop approached. "Can you pop the trunk? If you've got a short in your signals, my partner can fix it for you. He's a whiz with cars." 

"Sure, officer." Preddy removed one hand from the steering wheel seemingly to release the trunk, when the Accord's engine sprang to life. 

Sandburg stuck his head and shoulders through the rolled-down window, grabbing onto the steering wheel. He couldn't keep Preddy from accelerating and as the car picked up speed, Sandburg lifted his feet off the ground, desperately scrabbling for purchase against the moving car's door. "JIM!" 

"BLAIR!" Jim grabbed his gun as he yelled and the car swooshed past him. He focused and shot at the right front tire, then aimed at the right back tire and shot it out, too, attempting to forcibly stop the car and keep it off the highway proper. He lined up a third shot, aiming for Preddy's right shoulder, when Preddy lost control of the car. The Accord swerved sharply to the right, onto the grassy verge separating the highway from its feeder street and crashed into a row of bushes, planted to reduce the traffic noise for the surrounding neighborhood. Jim ran towards the car as Blair was flung backwards, his police cap flew off and he landed hard on the back of his head and his right shoulder. 

_Secure the perp, first,_ Jim reminded himself, while extending his hearing until he located his Guide's heartbeat. "Sandburg! Can you hear me, buddy?" He yelled over his shoulder as he unlocked and jerked open the driver's door. There was no reply as Jim reached in and yanked the keys out of the ignition. He handcuffed Preddy to the steering wheel, then bent over and flipped the trunk release next to the bottom of driver's seat. Jim stalked back to the opened trunk in three steps, and found a young girl with a gag over her mouth and her hands tied, attempting to sit up on the floor of the trunk. 

"It's okay, honey. You're safe, now. Let me help you?" Jim murmured as he quickly unknotted the large bandanna that was stuffed in the girl's mouth. He noted her tear-streaked face and judged her age as eight or nine. Aside from red marks where the gag had cut into her face and a few scrapes and bruises, she seemed okay. "I've got to go back to my car and get help." He cursed his decision to leave his cell phone at home, since the nightstick and other accouterments of his uniform made it hard to carry the phone. 

The little girl grabbed Jim's hand as he spoke. "Oh, you want to come with me? That's okay... All right if I carry you, hon?" At her nod, he scooped the little girl into his arms and raced back to the squad car. He opened the passenger door and grabbed the mike, rapidly requesting backup and ambulances. "Help's on the way, they should be here soon." He set the girl down on the ground. "By the way, my name's Jim. What's yours?" 

"M-M-Maura." 

"Maura, that's a pretty name. Listen, Maura, I need to go back and wait for help with my friend, the other policeman. See him?" Jim pointed to the spot where Blair lay. 

Maura glanced at the short distance between Blair and the car where she' d been held prisoner and her eyes widened. Jim heard her heartbeat increase, too. 

"It's okay, Maura. I won't let the bad man hurt you again, I promise." They walked quickly over to Sandburg, and Jim caught the faint sound of approaching sirens as he knelt by his still partner. 

* * *

The emergency room entrance burst open and two paramedics pushed a gurney through the swinging doors. Blair Sandburg lay quietly on the gurney, Jim trailing behind. 

A nurse in pink scrubs with dark curly hair a couple of inches longer than Blair's met the gurney. 

"Male Caucasian, age thirty-one," the Hispanic paramedic spoke from the gurney's right side. "Fell from a moving car, lump on the back of his head and deep bruising on the back of the right shoulder." 

"Exam Room Two," the nurse directed, walking briskly alongside theparamedic. They rounded a corner, then pushed the gurney through a set of swing doors to an already-staffed examination room. The nurse hung back and grabbed Jim's arm as he attempted to enter. 

"You can't go in there." 

"That's my partner in there!" Jim snapped impatiently. 

"I realize that, Officer, but--" 

"Detective," Jim interrupted, firmly. "Detective **Lieutenant** James Ellison." 

"Carol Hath--Ross, Head Nurse of Cascade General's ER. You'll have to stay outside while we're examining the patient." Carol beckoned a passing male nurse. "Gary, here, will escort you to the waiting room. Now, excuse me." She bumped the door open with her backside and disappeared into the examining room, leaving Jim and the male nurse standing in the corridor. 

"If you'll follow me, Officer--" 

"I know where the waiting room is," Jim interrupted. 

"Good, perhaps you can help with the officer's paperwork?" Gary asked as he started down the corridor, making sure that Ellison stayed with him. Once they arrived at the waiting room, Gary handed Ellison a clipboard and a pen, promising that he'd be notified about Sandburg's condition as soon as possible. 

Jim waited until the nurse left, then walked rapidly to the admissions desk. "Do you have a phone I can borrow?" he asked the admitting nurse, dropping the clipboard on the counter and flashing his badge out of habit. "Official business." 

The nurse, a slim blonde in light blue scrubs, set the closest phone on the counter. "Dial nine to get an outside line." 

Jim dialed Simon Banks' number, giving the Captain a brief but detailed summary of the incident. He learned that a police escort had already been dispatched to keep an eye on Preddy and take him into custody if he was released from the ER. It turned out Preddy was a known child predator with a three years-long record. Jim hung up after promising to keep Simon informed about Blair's condition. 

Jim reached over the countertop and grabbed a pen, quickly filling out Blair's hospital form. He handed the completed form and clipboard back to the blonde nurse. "There was a little girl involved in the same accident as my partner, Maura something. Do you know how she's doing?" 

"Dr. Ross is examining her now," the nurse said after looking at a whiteboard filled with names and other scribbled information. "I'll tell him to talk to you when he's finished." 

"Thank you." Jim sighed. "I'll be in the waiting room." 

Forty-five minutes later, Carol Ross walked into the waiting room. Jim was on his feet instantly. "How is he?" 

"Officer Sandburg has a concussion--but the CAT scan shows no damage other than the expected swelling at the point of impact. In addition, he has some severe bruising of his right shoulder, but he was lucky--no broken bones." 

"Can I see him?" Jim added as an afterthought, "Please?" 

"Okay, he's still here in the ER. Follow me." Carol led Jim away from the waiting room and into a semi-private room with two beds. Sandburg occupied one bed, the other one was empty. "We're keeping him here for observation," Carol said as she rolled a standard wheeled desk chair closer to Sandburg's bed. "Actually, we're hoping he'll wake up soon. If not, we'll arrange to admit him to the hospital this evening." 

"Thanks," Jim said, sitting down on the chair by Blair's hospital bed. 

"We had to shave his scalp around the injury, but, as you can see, he still has most of his hair." 

Jim turned in his chair, smiling slightly at the ER nurse. "He'll be happy to see that." 

"Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll check back a little later." 

Jim watched Carol as she crossed the room and left, then he turned back to Blair. It felt weird to have Blair silent and still, totally unnatural. Jim started talking, almost compelled to break the silence. "You can't be too bad off, Chief; I don't see the Panther or Wolf lurking under your bed." 

Jim glanced at Blair's face, searching for some sign that he'd been heard. Nothing. _Okay, so humor isn't working, maybe he needs something deeper, more honest to get his interest._

"Well, you and I, we're buddies," Jim said softly, taking Blair's hand into his. "And we've been since we first met--even if I did call you a dork. Well, I didn't, your blonde coed did." He shifted, deciding to clear the air about that little misconception once and for all. "Actually, she didn't either. She, uh, said you were adorable--but I couldn't tell a man, a complete stranger, that he was adorable, so I said 'a dork' instead. I'm sorry, Chief. And I'm sorry I shoved you against the wall, too, when we first met. I wasn't being much of a friend, but you've always been a friend to me." 

Jim checked Blair's face again, looking for some response. Nothing. Before he could say anything else, Jim heard the door open. 

He released Blair's hand and swiveled the chair to face the door. A tall, handsome man with a stethoscope draped around his neck, over a white lab coat, entered. "Detective Ellison?" 

"Yes?" Jim rose to his feet and stepped forward, meeting the doctor in the middle of the room. 

"I'm Dr. Doug Ross. You wanted to know about Maura O'Connell?" 

"Yes, how is she, Doc?" 

"She's a very lucky little girl, and brave, too. I checked her out, very thoroughly, and aside from a few scrapes, she's fine. She told me what happened. He grabbed her while she was walking home from school. She was alone and he was really quick. Practiced, like he knew what he was doing." 

"Preddy has a record for previous child molestation." Jim said, his jaw twitching. 

"Then she was very lucky you stopped the car when you did. Why'd you pull it over?" 

"The signal lights weren't working--it was just a routine traffic stop." 

"She disconnected the wires to the turn signals when she was in the trunk. Said they'd had a speaker at the school last month, telling them what to do in bad situations. She listened, and it paid off. Maura wants to thank you and your partner for helping her, and her parents do, too." 

"We were just doing our jobs, but I'll pass their thanks along to Blair when he wakes up." 

"How's your partner? Carol said he had a concussion when she told me where you were." 

"He's still out of it, but he'll be waking up soon." 

"Yes, I'm sure he will. I've got to go release Maura, now. Good-bye, nice to've met you." 

They shook hands and the Dr. Ross left. Jim walked back over to the bed and flopped down in his chair. He picked up Blair's hand and resumed talking.  "Lord knows we've had our bad days. And today certainly falls in that category, Chief. You and I are going to have a long talk about the proper way to approach a suspect on wheels, too. It's obvious that the lecture they gave you at the Academy didn't stick--but we'll discuss that later. First of all, you have to wake up. 

"C'mon, Chief. You can pull me out of a zone, I should be able to make you wake up. Friendship's a two-way street, y'know. Yes, you've always been a friend to me." 

He felt a slight pressure on his hand, then Blair's eyes fluttered open. "You, too, Jim." 

_Finis_ __

* * *

  
Thanks to Carole for the  
great lyrics!  
 

A Friend To Me  
(Garth Brooks) 

Well you and I  
We're buddies  
And we've been since we first met  
Me and you 

Well we've sure been through  
Our share of laughter and regret  
Lord knows we've had our bad days  
And more than once we've disagreed  
But you've always been a friend to me  
You can be so stubborn 

There's times I think you just like to fight  
And I hope and pray  
I live to see the day  
When you say I might be right  
And there's times I'd rather kill you  
Than listen to your honesty  
But you've always been a friend to me 

You've always been  
Time and again  
The one to take my hand  
And show to me it's okay to be  
Just the way I am  
With no apology  
Oh you've always been  
And you will 'till God knows when  
  


End file.
